Exam centres in Italy are taking advantage of the increased flexibility offered by computer-based testing.
Lingua Centre in Jesi has delivered computer-based exams to both private candidates and state schools, running three sessions per day in their own dedicated computer-based testing centre. Local Secretary, Yolanda Meystadt, said that the software is easy to use and teachers have been very positive. In future she intends to extend the use of computer-based testing to candidates who return from study holidays in English-speaking countries. Many Italian centres are based in universities, and computer-based testing allows them to choose dates away from their own internal exams and, due to the shorter turnaround times, students can graduate earlier.
Michele Puglisi from the Università Carlo Cattaneo, Castellanza said with extra dates, students can take their English exams when they are ready and they receive their results sooner. Marylin Kies, Local Secretary at the University of Siena reports that candidates feel at ease during the computer-based exam, as they prefer using the computer for writing.